Finish a meal at Grotto in North Syracuse and you might wonder if you were magically transported to the times before the Covid-19 pandemic. Restaurant menu prices have spiked industry-wide since 2020 as the cost of food, labor and other supplies have trended upward, but order a dish like the pappardelle bolognese ($25) and you might wonder if the owners missed the message.

Fork-tender short ribs slowly cooked in a chunky tomato sauce coated the wide egg noodles in the dish, which was less of a traditional bolognese and closer to a ragu. Semantics aside, this was a hearty dish served in a generous portion size, most of which ended up in a take-home box. Every time we moved a section of pasta, another hunk of beef was hidden beneath it. Based on the current price of supermarket short ribs, I’m not sure I could have made the dish cheaper in my own kitchen.